What on Earth does geology have to do with the world-renowned architectural masterpieces of the Windy City? Raymond Wiggers, acclaimed author of the guidebooks Chicago in Stone and Clay and Geology Underfoot in Illinois, explains the fascinating and often surprising links between science, art, and engineering in this general-interest survey of Chicago’s most famous buildings, the materials they are made of, and the soil, clay, and bedrock they are anchored in.

In this richly illustrated online presentation, Wiggers provided fresh perspective on both the vast sweep of geologic history and the origin and use of ornamental brick, terra cotta molded and fired by skilled local artisans, and a rainbow spectrum of cut and polished stone - stone of which is over three and half billion years old. Special emphasis is placed on such well-known landmarks as the Chicago Water Tower, the Wrigley Building, Glessner House, Second Presbyterian Church, many of the Loop’s skyscrapers, and a wide selection of interesting sites in the city’s outer neighborhoods, from Pullman and South Shore to Rogers Park and Sauganash.